Class of 2016

Gabe Baumann  6-3  260  Sr  DL  Rockford: In one of the most entertaining, if not most cleanly played, games of the season was East Kentwood’s 30-29 comeback win at Rockford. In an O-K Red instant classic with talent up and down both rosters, Baumann dominated stretches with his motor and wingspan. He’s been one of the Lake Area’s top pass rushers for years, but is strong enough to move to tackle and hold up blockers, making him effective whether Rockford goes with three or four down linemen. Combines physical power with the clean footwork that comes from coming up in one of the state’s top programs. A similar prospect to Comstock Park’s Blake Mazur, now a redshirt sophomore nose tackle at Wayne State.

Keegan Golder  6-5  270  Sr  OL/DL  Forest Hills Eastern: He’s an athletic run blocker at right tackle for one of the surprise teams in the Lake Area. He moves well enough in space that FHE will sometimes line him up at tight end. A three-year starter, and plays with commensurate poise and technique. A college that invests in developing his upper body strength on him could be onto something.

John Lipscomb  6-3  305  Sr  OL  Grand Rapids Catholic Central: Starts at right guard for Grand Rapids Catholic Central, giving the Cougars some width in what is a largely a lithe lineup. Good strength and drive going down hill, will have to improve flexibility and agility if he’s going to pull at the next level.

Daryn Snow  6-3  190  Sr  WR  Portage Northern: He won’t end the season with gaudy stats — he certainly didn’t in Portage Northern’s loss to Portage Central with a pair of catches for 11 yards — but Snow has the tools that make him one of the top senior receiving prospect in the Lake Area. He can adjust and go get the ball like you’d expect from the basketball standout he is, then what really separates Snow is how he gets yards after the catch, looking more like a running back than receiver with how hard he is to bring down. If not throwing his way, Northern also looks to take advantage of that running ability getting Snow the ball on end-arounds.

Class of 2016 Receiver Prospects

1. Hunter Broersma  6-1  190  Sr  Muskegon Mona Shores
2. Tyler Bradfield  6-0  190  Sr  Rockford
3. Darece Roberson  5-9  160  Sr  Muskegon Mona Shores
4. Daryn Snow  6-3  190  Sr  Portage Northern
5. Gabe Steed  6-1  175  Sr  Lowell
6. Kobe Burse  6-3  205  Sr  Muskegon Mona Shores
7. Ryan Knight  6-2  200  Sr  Forest Hills Eastern
8. Adam Farah  6-1  175  Sr  Forest Hills Northern
9. Jordan Brewer  6-2  190  Sr  St. Joseph
10. TJ Swore  6-2  200  Sr  Grand Rapids NorthPointe Christian
11. Bret Patton  6-2  190  Sr  East Kentwood
12. Kylin Barton  6-3  180  Sr  Zeeland East
13. James Cooper  6-3  170  Sr  Muskegon Oakridge
14. Michael Clifford  6-0  165  Sr  East Grand Rapids
15. Logan Panetta  6-0  185  Sr  Coopersville
16. Conner Nemmers  6-1  185  Sr  Grand Rapids West Catholic
17. Nick Turowski  6-1  180  Sr  Comstock Park
18. Lukas Thompson  6-0  180  Sr  Grand Rapids Christian
19. Dylan Otolski  6-1  180  Sr  Forest Hills Central
20. Zach Pangborn  6-0  180  Sr  Grand Rapids Northview

Taylor VanDyke  6-3  215  Sr  LB/TE  Cedar Springs: He’s a terrific two-way threat for Cedar Springs. He’s lanky and athletic and looks like a receiving tight end, so VanDyke surprises you with his aggressive blocking for the Red Hawks. On the other side of the ball he’s a stand-up end who is fluid coming around the corner where he looks more like 6-5, and reads the pitch well. He’s a versatile athlete who played cornerback as a junior.

Class of 2017

Patrick DePiazza  6-4  260  Jr  DL/OL  Cedar Springs: A two-way tackle for Cedar Springs. He and tight end Taylor VanDyke give them a Zeeland West-caliber wing-T blocking combo on the right side of the offensive line. His physical potential wasn’t as overwhelming against a quick front like Grand Rapids Catholic Central where the need to keep tuning technique and footwork showed at time. You could also project him at a variety of spots on the defensive line because he’s explosive over short spaces and plays with attitude which is uncommon in many young linemen. Before being lost to a concussion in Week 6, when Cedar Springs gave Forest Hills Northern its first loss, DePiazza showed his athleticism with a shoe-string tackle behind the line to stymie a fourth-down play on the Huskies’ opening drive. He’s clearly one of the top junior line prospects in the Lake Area.

Class of 2017 Lineman Prospects

1. Philipo Paea  6-4  260  Jr  Berrien Springs
2. Nate Umlor  6-5  245  Jr  Allendale
3. Johnathan Berghorst  6-3  260  Jr  Zeeland East
4. Erik Ditzhazy  6-5  260  Forest Hills Northern
5. Conner Chupailo  6-4  270  Zeeland West
6. Ben Sherwin  6-4  230  Jr  Traverse City Central
7. Jayk Slager  6-4  230  Jr  Zeeland West
8. Turner Ruby  6-4  284  Jr  East Ketnwood
9. Levi Finley  6-4  290  Jr  Mattawan
10. Reide Klinger  6-4  265  Jr  Jenison
11. Brady Eding  6-7  260  Jr  Hamilton
12. Calvin Luurtsma  6-4  260  Jr  Hudsonville
13. Joe Hruska  6-4  255  Jr  Kalamazoo Loy-Norrix
14. TJ Dymond  6-4  260  Jr  Portage Central
15. Dominic Hathaway  6-3  280  Jr  Traverse City St. Francis
16. Craig Ladd  6-1  250  Jr  Petoskey
17. Lane Potter  6-3  265  Jr  Hudsonville
18. Nick Kunkel  6-1  255  Jr  Holland Christian
19. Derek Monje  6-4  235  Jr  Fruitport
20. Josiah VanTil  6-3  240  Jr  Thornapple Kellogg
21. Nick White  6-0  250  Jr  Forest Hills Central
22. Darrius Thomas  6-3  365  Jr  Benton Harbor
23. Andrew VanHoeven  6-4  275  Jr  Portage Central
24. Cameron Waller  6-2  245  Jr  North Muskegon
25. August Shettler  6-4  315  Jr  Martin

Steven Spenner  6-3  215  Jr  LB  Berrien Springs: A three-year starter already and tackling machine who is tracking similarly to Nathan Ricketts, the former Holland star who now starts for CMU. Spenner is an active middle linebakcer plays big at the point of attack. Where we really like his improvement from a year ago is his ability to change direction and defend the pass while putting on 10 pounds. While teammate Philip Paea may be Berrien Springs’ top prospect, Spenner continues to be their top defensive player. He had 16 stops in their shutout of Parchment.

Class of 2018

A number of underclassmen have emerged this fall, some starting and contributing to some of the Lake Area’s best teams. Chief among them is Antwan Reed, Muskegon’s prototypical left tackle who already has an offer from Tennessee and could be the Big Reds’ best offensive line prospect since Jay Achterhoff over 40 years ago. Here are Reed and the other young players who have emerged on what will be a fluid list over the next two-and-a-half years.

Lake Area’s Top 25 Overall Sophomores

1. Antwan Reed  6-7  285  So  OL  Muskegon
2. Ryan Hayes  6-6  240  So  ATH  Traverse City West
3. Cody Carone  6-4  290  So  OL  Rockford
4. Jalen Mayfield  6-5  225  So  DL/OL  Grand Rapids Catholic Central
5. Jason Whittaker  6-4  185  So  QB  Rockford
6. Braeden Childress  6-4  215  So  QB  Big Rapids
7. Marcus Remtma  6-0  170  So  ATH  Rockford
8. Nelson McCauley  6-3  190  So  WR/DB  Grand Rapids Ottawa Hills
9. Keontae Watson  6-3  245  OL/DL  Muskegon Mona Shores
10. Darius Barfield  5-9  165  So  WR/DB  Grand Rapids Christian
11. Trevor Dilley  6-4  255  So  DL/OL  St. Joseph
12. Job Mayhue  6-2  190  So  LB  East Kentwood
13. Aiden Burns  6-2  195  So  LB/TE  Grand Rapids Catholic Central
14. Malachi Price  6-2  240  So  DL/OL  Grand Rapids Christian
15. Cody Schutt  6-3  255  So  OL/DL  Holland
16. Eli Jackson  6-1  250  So  DL/OL  Muskegon
17. Jalen Shaffer  6-1  185  RB/LB  Grand Rapids NorthPointe Christian
18. Matt Loney  6-2  175  So  WR/DB  Frankfort
19. Toby Hulst  6-0  200  So  LB  Grand Rapids South Christian
20. Jake Hoekstra  5-11  190  LB  Hudsonville
21. Mason Gardner  6-2  175  So  QB  Boyne City
22. Andrew Hahn  6-2  175  So  QB  Grand Rapids South Christian
23. Jake Heilman  6-4  240  So  OL/DL  Forest Hills Central
24. Nathaniel Mitchel  5-11  200  So  LB  Grand Rapids West Catholic
25. Logan Lee  6-4  195  So  DL/TE  Rockford

Class of 2019

Jordan Ringler  5-9  175  Fr  LB  Cedar Springs: A prodigy out there, making adjustments and delivering hits as a ninth-grader playing varsity. Has gotten more confident and vocal as the season has progressed. Recruiting will largely depend on how he grows and improving in coverage, but the kid knows how to play for sure.